Sunton
|common_name = Sunton |image_flag = Flag of Su/nton.png |alt_flag = |image_coat = Emblem of Sunton.png |symbol_type =Emblem |alt_coat = |other_symbol_type = |other_symbol = |image_map = Sunton location.png |map_caption = |national flower = |alt_map = |national_motto = "和平反共建國" (Chinese) "Peace, Anti-Communism, National Construction" |national_anthem = "國歌" (Chinese) "Patriotic Song" |capital = Sunton (city-state) |largest_settlement_type = Largest PA |largest_settlement= Nangong |official_languages = Chinese English |languages_type = Official scripts |languages = Traditional Chinese Modern English |regional_languages = Japanese Korean |ethnic_groups = 74.1% Chinese 13.4% Japanese 9.2% Korean |government_type = Unitary parliamentary republic |leader_title1 = President |leader_name1 = Ewan Hong |leader_title2 = Prime Minister |leader_name2 = Irene Cheung |leader_title3 = Speaker of Parliament |leader_name3 = Dennis Yuen |leader_title4 = Chief Justice |leader_name4 = Ito Kazuo |legislature = Parliament |upper_house = |lower_house = |area_km2 = 0.06 |area_sq_mi = |area_rank = |area_magnitude = |percent_water = |population_estimate = 128 |population_estimate_year = 2015 |population_estimate_rank = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_density_rank = |demonym = Suntonese |GDP_PPP = |GDP_PPP_rank = |GDP_PPP_year = |GDP_PPP_per_capita = |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = |GDP_nominal = |GDP_nominal_rank = |GDP_nominal_year = |GDP_nominal_per_capita = |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = |sovereignty_type = Formation |sovereignty_note = |established_event1 = Republic established |established_date1 = TBA |established_event2 = |established_date2 = |HDI = 0.298 |HDI_change = increase |HDI_ref = |HDI_year = 2015 |HD1_rank = |HDI_category = |Gini= |Gini_ref = |title= |Gini_year= |Gini_category= |currency = Sunton dollar (RS$) |currency_code = RSD |country_code = RS |time_zone = Sunton Standard Time |utc_offset = +9 |time_zone_DST = not observed |utc_offset_DST = +9 |date_format = yyyy-mm-dd yyyy年m月d日 (CE; CE+2697) |drives_on = left |cctld = .rs .明國 |calling_code = +81 |footnotes = }} Sunton (Traditional Chinese: 明國; pinyin: Míngguó), sometimes known as Hashima, officially the Republic of Sunton (Traditional Chinese: 大明民國; pinyin: Dàmíng Mínguó), is a self proclaimed sovereign city state in East Asia, constituting Hashima Island. It lies at the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago, with the Ryukyu Islands to the south. Sunton's territory consists of a rectangle-shaped island. The island's most notable features are its abandoned concrete buildings, undisturbed except by nature, and the surrounding sea wall. Neighboring states include China and South Korea to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and Taiwan to the south. Nangong is the seat of the central government, and with the surrounding districts of Beilong, Dongwan and Xihai are the rest of all census divisions on the island. The Republic of Sunton is a unitary, one-party, parliamentary republic with a unicameral legislature, the Parliament. The Republican Party has been the city-state's ruling party since the declaration of independence in 2016. Sunton is one of the founding members of East Asia Summit of Micronations and the Asia-Pacific Micronational Economic Cooperation (APMEC). The island is a symbol of the rapid industrialization, it is also a reminder of its dark history as a site of forced labor prior to and during the Second World War. The island reached a peak population of 5,259 in 1959. In 1974, with the coal reserves nearing depletion, the mine was closed and all of the residents departed soon after, leaving the island effectively abandoned for the following three decades. In 2016; Prime Minister Irene Cheung proclaimed the Republic of Sunton, the entity constituted the islands following the Liuyue Revolution. Etymology The English name "Sunton" derives from the Portuguese pronunciation, Suntão. In the early 21st century, the island was visited by Portuguese tourist during the end of the Liuyue Revolution, after the declaration of independence, they referred the republican city-state as "Suntão". Prehistorically, the island was referred as Gunkanjima (gunkan meaning battleship, jima being the rendaku form of shima, meaning island), a Japanese nickname meaning "Battleship Island", sometimes the nickname is still in use. Despite the English name for the city-state is referred as Sunton, currently the island is often referred as Hashima internationally. The full title of Sunton is Dàmíng Mínguó (大明民國; literally: "Great Suntonese Republic"), meaning the "Republic of Sunton". The common Suntonese names for the state are Míngguó (明國), from míng ("bright") and guó ("state, nation-state"), although the country's official name has been changed numerous times by successive governments. History Industrial era The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. Its most notable features are the abandoned and still mostly-intact concrete apartment buildings, and the surrounding sea wall. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began extracting coal from undersea mines. In 1916 the company built Japan's first large concrete building (9 storeys tall), a block of apartments to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers. Concrete was specifically used to protect against typhoon destruction. In 1959 the 6.3-hectare (16-acre) island's population reached its peak of 5,259, with a population density of 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km2, 216,264 people per square mile) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km2) for the residential district. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down across the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today the buildings are empty and the island is unpopulated. Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009, after 35 years of closure. Geography, environment and climate Sunton is a volcanic origin, the island is 18 kilometers from Nagasaki. Located on the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago, in the East China Sea, is about 480 meters long and just under 150 in width to a width of only 0,063 square kilometers. Originally, the island had an area much smaller and featured a small mountain in the center. Since 1896, its territory was gradually expanded into six phases close that led to assume its present shape in 1931, and the relief was partially cleared to be able to build the buildings still present. The whole area of the island was so heavily urbanized north-east is concentrated what once was the residential area, with several multi-storey buildings that were used as houses and complementary services, while in the south-west there was the great industrial area of the mining establishment, which branched off into several tunnels just below the seabed. The deepest underground tunnel stretched for more than 1 km in depth; it is estimated that about 200 miners lost their lives working on the site. In 1959, the period of maximum density of population, the island grew to 60,000m² of residential building, a hospital, a school, temples, about 25 shops, bars, a cinema, a gym, a baseball field and a brothel. However, living on the island presented many problems of adaptation. The houses, owned by Mitsubishi, were assigned according to a strict protocol of social hierarchies: the miners bachelors were housed in apartments, those with families in apartments with bathroom and kitchen with other tenants; administrative staff, nurses and teachers in two-room apartments with kitchen and bathroom included. Environment ]]Despite being equipped with all necessary services, the island represented a somewhat alienating reality where the supply of goods, food, drinking water was guaranteed solely by supplies from the mainland that were often severely hampered by violent typhoons that raged around the island for about 160 days a year, making it impossible to navigation and mooring of vessels to small wharf. For this reason, to protect the entire island was built the high and thick walls, still visible along its entire perimeter. After years of prolonged neglect, salt and weather have favored the irreversible process of structural decay and the island looks desolate, with the looming presence of its many buildings in ruins. Many of them are now partially collapsed, crumbling, infested with wild vegetation, or so dilapidated as to make prohibitive a full tour along the streets, almost everywhere littered with rubble. Climate The climate of the island, now as then, is characterized by strong winds and stormy cyclical phenomena; also the arid soil did not allow the cultivation and therefore there was never the possibility and the space for green areas and public gardens. In this regard, some former residents organized themselves bringing the island's fertile soil for groped to create vegetable gardens on the flat roof of the houses but with little success. Administrative divisions While the small physical size of Sunton does not qualify the creation of national subdivisions in the form of provinces, states, and other national political divisions found in larger countries, the city-state has nonetheless been subdivided in various ways throughout its history for the purpose of local administration and urban planning. When local elections necessitated the setting up of electoral districts, however, it began to supplement postal districts as an alternative form of local governance, since each electoral district is headed by a member of parliament who represents and speaks for the respective electorates. The Sunton Urban Redevelopment Authority carved up the country into four planning areas. These boundaries became increasingly accepted as an alternative method of subdividing the country, made all the more popular as the boundaries do not change compared to the more fluid nature of electoral boundaries. The Department of Statistics adopted these boundaries for the nationwide population census, and the Sunton Police Force uses them as an approximate guide when demarcating boundaries. Politics ]] ]]Sunton is a one-party parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing constituencies. The country's constitution establishes a representative democracy as the political system. Executive power rests with the Cabinet of Sunton, led by the Prime Minister and, to a much lesser extent, the President. The President is elected through a popular vote, and has veto powers over a specific set of executive decisions, such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judges, but otherwise occupies a largely ceremonial post. The Parliament serves as the legislative branch of the government. Members of Parliament (MPs) consist of elected, non-constituency and nominated members. Elected MPs are voted into the Parliament on a "first-past-the-post" (plurality) basis and represent either single-member or group representation constituencies. The Republican Party has full control of Parliament with large majorities since the national establishment in 2016. Although the elections are clean, there is no independent electoral authority and the government has strong influence on the media. Despite this, in the 2016 Parliamentary elections, the opposition increased its representation to seven elected independent MPs. National polls reported 84% of residents expressed confidence in the government, and 85% in its judicial systems and courts. The legal system of Sunton is based on English common law, but with substantial local differences. Trial by jury was abolished so that judicial decisions would rest entirely in the hands of appointed judges. Sunton has penalties that include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning, which may be imposed for such offences as rape, rioting, vandalism, and certain immigration offences. Government File:Hong Sung-ki.jpg| Hong Sung-ki President File:Irene Cheung.jpg| Irene Cheung Prime Minister File:Ong Do-hyun.jpg| Ong Do-hyun Speaker of Parliament Foreign relations Sunton's foreign policy is aimed at maintaining security in the city-state and its territorial waters. An underlying principle is political and economic stability in the region. It has diplomatic relations with other micronations worldwide. The first diplomatic contact with Koryeo was made in the late 2010s, with full diplomatic relations established on the following decade. Since then the two countries have been major players in strengthening the relationship between them. The Republic of Sunton and the Republic of England (York) share a long-standing close relationship, in particular in defence, the economy, health, and education. The Republic of England was Sunton's first largest trading partner in during the late 2010s. The two countries have a free-trade agreement, and Sunton views its relationship with the Republic of England as an important counterbalance to Kangcho's influence. A Strategic Framework Agreement between the two formalises security and defence co-operation. Countries with diplomatic relations with the Republic of Sunton * Republic of England * Republic of Koryeo Countries recognised by the Republic of Sunton * Member states of the United Nations * Republic of China * Naminara Republic * People's Republic of Koya Countries unrecognised by the Republic of Sunton * Principality of Hashima